The present invention relates to a radiography system and a transfer board moving apparatus. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a radiography system and a transfer board moving apparatus that move a transfer board, which is included in a stretcher and on which a subject lies down, to a radiographic table.
Radiography systems including an X-ray computed tomography (CT) system acquire raw data by scanning a subject lying down in a radiographic space, and produce an image of the subject according to the raw data.
For example, in the X-ray CT system, an X-ray tube and an X-ray detector are incorporated in a scanner gantry so that they will sandwich a radiographic space. A transporter transports a subject borne by a radiographic table to the radiographic space. The X-ray tube irradiates X-rays to the subject while rotating about the subject who is borne by the radiographic table in the radiographic space. The X-ray detector detects X-rays that transmits the subject so as to obtain raw data. Based on the obtained raw data, a tomographic image expressing a subject's plane is produced (refer to Patent Document 1).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-173756
When an X-ray CT system is used to radiograph a subject, a stretcher is used to transport the subject from outside to a scan room where the X-ray CT system is installed. The stretcher is, for example, a transporter including a transfer board on which a subject lies down and a cart that bears the transfer board so that the transfer board can be dismounted from the cart. When a subject is loaded on a radiographic table included in the X-ray CT system, after the transfer board on which the subject lies down is dismounted from the cart, the transfer board is moved to the radiographic table.
The stretcher is used especially in case of emergency. Therefore, the stretcher is requested to be designed so that the transfer board can be readily moved to the radiographic table in order to facilitate efficient radiography.
In radiography systems including an X-ray CT system, all components including a scanner gantry and a transporter should be accurately disposed at predetermined reference positions. A heavy component is moved and positioned so that an edge of the component will be aligned with a straight line drawn on a floor using, for example, laser light, whereby the components are linearly and relatively disposed in place.
In the work of disposing the components, since adjustment is not easy to do, there is difficulty in improving work efficiency.
In particular, when maintenance is performed in order to, for example, replace a slip ring incorporated in a scanner gantry of an X-ray CT system with a new one, a cover shielding the interior of the scanner gantry must be removed. The components of the X-ray CT system are therefore required to be displaced. For this reason, after the maintenance is completed, the displaced components must be accurately aligned and disposed in place. There is therefore difficulty in improving maintainability. Consequently, a drawback that work efficiency deteriorates becomes obvious.
As mentioned above, radiography systems including an X-ray CT system are requested to improve the efficiency in maintenance and installation work while efficiently achieving radiography.